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Joshua v Parker undercard: Ghana-born Joshua Buatsi to stop Grafka

Date: Mar 30 , 2018 , 19:31

BY: Kweku Zurek

Category: Sports News

Joshua v Parker undercard: Ghana-born Joshua Buatsi to stop Grafka

Ghana-born Joshua Buatsi will fight for the fifth time since turning professional on Saturday night against Poland's Bartlomiej Grafka on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker WBO Heavyweight title fight at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The former Olympian, Joshua Buatsi belongs to the same Matchroom stable as WBA and IBF World Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and will be hoping to continue his impressive knockout streak against 29-year-olf Grafka tomorrow.

Grafka's latest loss came in February this year when he lost a unanimous decision to Robin Krasniqi at the Erdgas Arena in Germany.

In the lead up to the fight, Joshua Buatsi, has revealed that he is still coming to terms with personally generating publicity for his fights.

Buatsi and Grafka weighed in at 12st 10lbs 3oz and 12st 6lbs 8oz respectively for the fight.

Future world champion

Great things are expected of Joshua Buatsi who won a Bronze Medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

The London-based Joshua Buatsi revealed that undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jnr told him he was "a future world champion" when he met the American in Rio.

At 24, Joshua Buatsi turned down the opportunity to sign a professional contract for Mayweather's promotional company to finish a degree in Management and Sports Science from St Mary’s University in Twickenham in the summer of 2017.

Joshua Buatsi later signed for Hearn's Matchroom Sports and is managed by world heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua and his company.

"I missed the top prize at the Olympics and turning professional is all about becoming world champion," Buatsi said. "I couldn't say how long it is going to take me to achieve it, but that's the goal. For Anthony Joshua, it came at the right time and he did it under four years.

"I chose AJ and his team to manage me because he's come from the same Olympic background and he has done really well since. They will know how to move around in the pro ranks commercially and have learned how to manage an Olympic medallist."

Despite the bold decision to put education before the start of his boxing career, Buatsi insists punching is his top priority.

"I was able to do uni and box, but I was always going to box and I've never thought about a nine-to-five job, boxing has to work for me," Buatsi added. "But it shows that if an important decision has to be made about my boxing and I feel strong about it, I will stick to it."

Joshua Buatsi, has lived in Croydon since his family moved from Ghana to England when he was aged nine.